Gestational Diabetes – Healthy Diet For Moms-to-Be

Gestational diabetes can have adverse impacts both on the mother and the baby. This article will provide healthy eating tips for people prone to it.

Gestational diabetes diet guidelines:

1. Follow a healthy and balanced diet.
2. Choose products that moderately increase blood sugar levels.
3. Stick to the nutrition plan for healthy (gradual) weight gain.

You can find more information here – Gestational Diabetes Diet Australia. Read on to find out about pregnancy diet.

Meals in small portions

Eating too much at once can cause hyperglycemia. The equal distribution of calories and carbs throughout the day will help prevent this.

Regularly get energy you and your baby need to maintain a healthy pregnancy. The general recommendation is to have five meals a day (3 main meals and several intermediate meals).

Eat a well-balanced diet, regulate circadian rhythms, and keep regular intervals between meals. Your blood sugar level won’t stabilize if you skip meals and eat irregularly.

Add starchy foods to your diet

There are two main types of carbohydrates – simple, which you should avoid, and complex. Complex carbs include starch and foods that contain it. Starchy foods are an essential source of macroelements, providing energy (complex carbohydrates), protein, and fiber.

Eat moderate amounts of starchy foods (including corn, brown rice, pea, potato, sweet potato, etc.) together with cooked non-starchy foods such as leafy greens.

Many women try to avoid starchy foods; however, they are an important part of the diet for gestational diabetes while pregnant.

Drink organic milk but stick to moderation

Milk and other dairy products like yogurt or cottage cheese are excellent sources of protein and probiotics (contained in yogurt with the words “live and active cultures”). They also contain calcium – the most important building material for our skeleton. It participates in the formation of bone and muscle tissue and tooth enamel.

Drink one small glass of milk at a time because several glasses in a short period of time can significantly raise blood sugar levels.

If possible, choose dairy products with minimum sugar and fat content, such as the following:

• Semi-skimmed milk (1%) or skim milk.
• Low-fat hard cheese and cottage cheese.
• Low-fat yogurt with reduced sugar content.

Skim soy milk may be a good alternative to cow’s milk.

Eat fruits in small portions

The fructose and glucose in fruits cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, so you should be careful. You can eat fruits but in smaller amounts, sufficient to get nutrients without excess sugar.

Fruits are delicious and nutritious; however, they are more than sweet delicacies. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and folic acid (contained in citrus fruits, bananas, and grapes). This is the reason why these products must be included in the diet for women with gestational diabetes.

More fiber

During gestation, women need various products in their daily menu to keep the baby healthy and strong. Fiber (non-digestible carbohydrates) is highly beneficial and vital for a healthy diet, so you need to consume it regularly.

The best diet for gestational diabetes patients should include high-fiber foods, such as:

• Legumes.
• Broccoli.
• Whole grains.
• Leafy greens.
• Avocado.

When eating carbs, such as rice and spaghetti, together with dietary fiber, absorption of sugar in the digestive tract becomes moderate and minimal.

If you have gestational diabetes, a diet chart for vegetarians can be helpful for you. For a vegetarian diet to be safe, it should include all necessary vitamins and macroelements.

Choose a proper breakfast

Eating breakfast boosts energy for the whole day. It’s best for you to have breakfast properly to make up for a deficiency of nutrients and lead a healthy lifestyle both for you and your baby. Skipping breakfast may lead to a lack of energy in the brain and body, causing irritation and a loss of concentration.

It is important to monitor carbohydrate consumption for breakfast during a diet for gestational diabetes during pregnancy. You can achieve this by restricting the intake of the following foods:

• Sweet fruits.
• White bread.
• Ice-cream.
• Candies.
• Sweet pastries.
• Breakfast cereals (refined product from processed grains).

Eat fewer carbs at breakfast than at other meals during the day because blood sugar levels are the highest in the morning.

Choose products high in fiber, such as whole wheat bread, cereals, brown rice, and non-starchy vegetables. Consume more protein and unsaturated fats.

Say no to juices and other sugary drinks

Sugary drinks differ from fruits, which are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. The excessive consumption of liquid sugar, fructose, and glucose may be dangerous. Avoid overeating simple carbohydrates like sugary juices and fizzy drinks.

Quit eating sweets and desserts

It is obvious that a diet for pregnant women with gestational diabetes must exclude sweets and desserts. Excessive consumption of simple carbs is dangerous and may lead to postprandial hyperglycemia, which is not very good for the health of a future child. Moreover, eating a lot of sweets may lead to weight gain in the mother and the baby. Much of the excess weight may be the reason for difficulty giving birth; besides, it makes it harder to get back to your pre-pregnancy state.

Choose safe sweeteners

You may use low-calorie sweeteners because they are safe to eat during pregnancy in small amounts.

Popular artificial sweeteners in Australia:

1. Splenda.
2. Equal.

It has been proven that high-quality artificial sweeteners have little impact on blood glucose levels. All such products sold in Australian stores are thoroughly tested to ensure their use has no adverse health effects.

Beware of Sugar Alcohols

Sugar alcohols are carbohydrates with chemical characteristics of both sugars and alcohols, but are neither of these. Sugar alcohols are found naturally in fruits and vegetables. Also, they may be found in many bubble gums, lollipops, and products marked as sugar-free.

How safe is erythritol (a type of sugar alcohol)? In general, this substance is safe. It is similar to sugar but contains no calories and doesn’t raise blood sugar levels. Erythritol is unlikely to cause harm if consumed in moderate amounts.

Like dietary fiber, sugar alcohols pass through the body almost intact. Still, in large amounts and/or combined with some products, they may lead to digestive disorders, including bloating, gasses, spasms, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Monitor your glycemic index (GI) of products and blood sugar level

It is evident that large amounts of carbs in your blood during pregnancy may influence both a baby’s and a mother’s health. You must measure sugar level, especially during a diet for gestational diabetes during the third trimester.

• Examples of products with low GI: grain bread, whole-grain products, boiled cereals, soy products, legumes, etc.
• Examples of products with high GI: sugar, sweets, round grain rice, white bread, potato, etc.

If you want to monitor the changes in glucose levels in real time, you need a continuous blood glucose monitoring system. Modern devices can be connected to your smartphone so that you can control your glucose level.

You may be recommended to carefully monitor your sugar index before a meal and one-two hours after it. Sometimes, it is advised to perform additional tests, for instance, before going to bed. Glucose level testing can help a doctor to develop the best diet for gestational diabetes.

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